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- School price list: preparation for September 1 will cost at least 18.9 thousand rubles
School price list: preparation for September 1 will cost at least 18.9 thousand rubles
Parents were actively buying school supplies already in early July, the analysts told the editorial board. Many people try to plan a budget in advance: the need to purchase everything at once often causes stress. Experts advise making a list of what you need, avoiding unnecessary purchases "in reserve" and paying attention not only to new items, but also to high-quality options from the resale. This will reduce costs and save energy. About what is included in the school set and how to get a child to school without unnecessary expenses — in the material of Izvestia.
Which products for students have increased in price
The preparation season for September 1 this year started earlier than usual, analysts told Izvestia. According to the OFD Platform company, the cost of compulsory student recruitment, including a uniform, backpack, sportswear, shoes, diary, notebooks and office, increased by 6.3% compared to 2025 and amounted to 18.9 thousand rubles.
The average prices for most items increased by 3-12% year-on-year, and only the pencil case with the office fell in price by 12%. The most expensive items were school uniforms, backpacks, children's shoes and boots, as well as sneakers — the price of each item varies from 2 thousand to 5.4 thousand rubles.
— Diaries went up the most — by 12%, to 183 rubles, and children's shoes (+10%). The cost of notebooks, pencils and pens increased by 3-7%, the analysts said.
The demand by category was unevenly distributed: the number of purchases decreased for clothes and backpacks, while for shoes and office supplies it increased.
Sales of diaries decreased by 15%, school uniforms — by 11%, backpacks — by 10%, children's trousers and skirts — by 9%, school blouses and shirts — by 5%, the OFD noted. — Most often, parents bought children's sneakers (+24%), as well as shoes and boots, sets of notebooks (+10% each), T-shirts (+4%), pencil cases with stationery (+3%) and sets of pencils and pens (+2%).
The increase in the average check for school supplies above official inflation shows that parents are not saving for children, analysts said.
Experts from the martech company First Data told Izvestia that from June 1 to July 28, 2026, Russians spent 4.6 billion rubles on school supplies, which is 30% more than in the same period last year. Demand began to grow in early July, three to four weeks earlier than the traditional school shopping season, which usually peaks in August.
"School uniforms were bought almost twice as actively as a year earlier," they said. — The number of purchases increased by 93%. The amount spent in the category increased by 83%, to more than 2 billion rubles, while the average price of the product dropped by 4%, to 1,183 rubles."
Stationery began to be purchased 48% more often, and the cost of them increased by 11%. At the same time, the choice shifted towards more affordable items, so the average purchase price decreased by 23%, to 236 rubles.
The Ozon press service reported that the beginning of July was a record high in demand for goods for the new school year: the number of purchases increased by more than 2.2 times. Sales of office supplies increased especially noticeably — drawing supplies (3.4 times), writing supplies (2.5 times), notebooks (2.8 times), as well as folders and office paper (2 times).
"Schoolchildren are also preparing for creative subjects more actively than a year ago: in July 2026, albums and drawing objects were ordered almost five times more often. A separate trend is the growing interest in accessories for books: covers were ordered almost seven times more often than a year ago, and bookmarks were ordered four times more often," the press service said.
Why is school preparation stretched over the entire summer?
According to Avito, a set for a boy, including a new school uniform, tracksuit and backpack, cost an average of 6.3 thousand rubles in July. A similar set can be purchased on the retail for about 3.5 thousand rubles.
For a girl, such a set will cost an average of 5.6 thousand rubles. In the secondary market, a school uniform costs about 1.4 thousand rubles, a sports uniform costs 900 rubles, and a backpack costs 1.1 thousand rubles.
"Today, school and tracksuits remain one of the most popular categories on the retail market — their share reaches 70% of total sales," they added.
In the Fix Price, the cost index for collecting a child to school was estimated at 2.5 thousand rubles. With this amount, you can buy a set of clothes, the necessary stationery and a shoe bag.
"Notebooks, notebooks, covers, diaries, and pens are a highly sought—after category. Teenagers regularly buy these products from us themselves," the network's press service added.
According to First Data, educational literature is now being purchased 15% more actively than a year ago. A total of 3.6 million books and manuals have been sold. At the same time, total expenses remained at the level of 1.16 billion rubles in 2025, as buyers are more likely to choose more affordable publications. As a result, the average purchase price decreased by 9% and amounted to 375 rubles.
The editorial office of Educational Projects of the AST non-fiction publishing house also notes a noticeable increase in interest in exam preparation manuals. According to the results of the first half of 2026, sales of materials for the OGE and USE in monetary terms increased by 141% compared to the same period last year. The demand for OGE preparation manuals is increasing the fastest — by 189% at once.
Materials on the Russian language, mathematics and physics became the leaders among them — sales increased by more than 300%. The most modest results were shown by social studies and English. When preparing for the Unified State Exam, textbooks in mathematics, chemistry, Russian language and history were more often chosen, and geography was in last place in terms of growth rates.
— This year, parents began to stretch out their preparations for school: instead of one large check before September 1, they have been buying everything they need since June. This approach makes it easier to choose products, find more affordable options, and avoid the August peak in prices and demand," said Alexander Starostin, CEO and co—founder of First Data.
And this is just the beginning of the season: the bulk of spending on school supplies traditionally falls in August and lasts until September 1.
How to deal with anxiety before September 1st
Preparing for the start of the school year causes a slight panic among many parents — it seems that shopping will take a whole salary, or even two, but expenses can be kept under control if you approach the process not as a spontaneous shopping marathon, but as a conscious choice of necessary things, said Igor, a leading analyst at AMarkets. Rastorguev.
"In August, the windows are literally full of school supplies, and the brain readily believes that all this urgently needs to be bought," he said. — But if you determine the required minimum in advance, the expenses immediately become predictable. For example, you don't have to buy everything new: some things, like outerwear or a backpack, can be reused if they are in good condition. This is not about saving money at any cost, but about the rational management of resources.
According to the analyst, the "base first, then the details" strategy helps a lot. First, the most necessary items are purchased: notebooks, pens, pencils, a pair of uniforms, comfortable shoes.
— And then, if the budget allows, we add pleasant little things, — the expert advises. — At the same time, it is worth remembering that the cheapest is not always the most profitable: a 48—sheet notebook for pennies can crumble in a month, and a denser one, a little more expensive, will quietly survive until the end of the quarter. There is a simple logic at work here: the price per unit of use. If one notebook costs 120 rubles and lasts for three months, and the other costs 60 rubles, but falls apart in three to four weeks, then the first one turns out to be twice as profitable.
Another working technique is not to buy alone. By teaming up with other parents, you can order goods in bulk at discounted prices, and at the same time avoid unnecessary shopping trips, that is, save time.
Preparing for September 1 is not only about a backpack and notebooks, but also about the emotional state of children, so it is important for parents to find a balance between care and reasonable restraint in spending and expectations, said practical psychologist Tatiana Goldman.
— An excessive number of new things, bright pencil cases, dozens of pens, gadgets can create a false feeling in a child that learning is primarily about attributes, and not about the process of cognition itself, — said the specialist. — When parents compensate for their anxiety about school with excessive spending, children read this signal and also begin to focus on things, rather than on their inner readiness for school.
In addition, a large number of gifts and purchases before school creates the effect of "festive expectation", after which studying can be perceived as a disappointment — the contrast between anticipation and everyday life will be too noticeable. The optimal strategy is to involve children in choosing the necessary things, but limit the list to really necessary purchases: a joint trip to the office or uniform helps to involve the child in preparing for school: he chooses the color of the cover or the design of the pencil case himself, but within the established budget. This will give him a sense of belonging, while maintaining the right focus — not on the number of purchases, but on the upcoming new stage.
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